


The Water Brought You to Me

by moonlitfool



Category: Free!
Genre: Aquaphobia, M/M, Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange 2019, hope you enjoy!!! :), there may be inaccurate (minor) info about how a therapy session goes about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-08 05:11:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21470602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlitfool/pseuds/moonlitfool
Summary: Haruka supposes it’s a bit unprofessional of him to fall in love with his handsome patient who has a phobia of water.In which Haruka logs his weekly sessions with Tachibana Makoto into his notebook.
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Yamazaki Sousuke, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto, Tachibana Ran & Tachibana Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 58
Collections: Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange 2019





	The Water Brought You to Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ssushiiii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssushiiii/gifts).

> Hi, Ssushiiii! I'm your gifter and typed up a little oneshot for you! You requested something that had Sousuke, SouRin, Ran & Ren, and optional MakoHaru (but since I stan MakoHaru, I had to include it LOL). So, I present to you... my gift! I'm sorry I couldn't include more SouRin and SouMako broship, but I tried my very best to suit your preferences and enjoyable! c: I really hope you enjoy my gift in celebration of Makoto's birthday! (⺣◡⺣)♡*

**PRE-SESSION**

Rin is transferring a patient to me after weeks with little to no progress. On the one hand, it’s nice to get some more business because it’s been so unbearably slow in the office these days. On the other hand, I feel like Rin is always unloading his unfinished work on me. He gives up easily with people. A bit saddening, but I can understand where he’s coming from.

Anyways, I’m still waiting on the medical files to be sent to me by mail (because I’m hopeless with technology), so I can’t do much research beforehand. The only piece of information I know about the patient is why he’s seeking therapy.

It’s for a phobia.

Well, I’m not too worried about helping him with his phobia. I’ve dealt with patients having extreme phobias before.

He’s supposed to be here tomorrow. Let’s hope all goes well.

—————

**SESSION 1**

Thankfully, the medical files arrived here on time. I was able to skim through it all before Tachibana arrived. I also had to trash all of the sticky notes Rin placed—all saying the same thing, “No progress.” <strike>Reminder to tell Rin to clean his notes before sending it off to someone else.</strike>

Tachibana has green eyes with a gaze that could melt a thousand women, brown hair with a tint of yellow-green, and a warm smile. He’s also an unbelievably nice man. <strike>It kinda… irked me.</strike> He stopped me multiple times during our session to make sure my hands were okay from writing so much. I’ve never had a patient ask me so many times before.

The session today went on pretty smoothly… up until the end. I had him talk about his family and childhood. Then to get him comfortable, I started to share a bit about myself. When I began to talk about my time as a swimmer, he froze up in the chair. That’s how I found out about his phobia for the water.

<strike>If I met Tachibana anywhere outside of the office, I could not be friends with him with this kind of difference.</strike>

I didn’t plan to dive into his phobia so early, but mistakes happen.

—————

**SESSION 2**

This session, I had him focus on his experiences with water and how each one made him feel. It was a bit weird to see such a big man curl up onto the chair and try to burrow into the pillows. Tachibana wore a t-shirt today, so I had a full view of his arms and build.

Strangely, his body looked similar to the people on my old swim team. <strike>No, I was not ogling.</strike>

Eventually, he got too anxious talking about his phobia, so I had him stop talking and diverted his attention to the miniature kitten statues on my desk. I cannot believe how quickly his eyes lit up.

Tachibana began rambling on and on about cats and kittens around his house. He rambled on even more about the pictures on his phone he took of these animals.

<strike>His rambling continued until my timer went off. </strike>

It’s time to invest in some stuffed animals for the couch.

—————

**SESSION 3**

Tachibana noticed the stuffed animals I bought for our sessions. It was the first thing he gravitated towards when he entered my office. <strike>It was honestly pretty cute.</strike>

In the last session, he ended up hinting a lot of details to me about his phobia. It seems like he’s more afraid of the ocean and rivers than water from the sink or the rain. I ended up printing a lot of pictures taken from various bodies of water to place on the table. It was the second thing he noticed after entering my office.

I had him separate the pictures that scared him from the pictures that didn’t affect him whatsoever. About three of the twenty photos were left untouched… which is a big problem.

I intentionally left seven photos in the pile, thinking he would not find it frightening. He found four of my pictures scary. 

I have more work cut out for me than I originally thought.

—————

**SESSION 4**

A man named Yamazaki Sousuke came with Tachibana to his session today. I’ve had patients bring a friend or family member into the room before, so I’m used to it. But I’ve never had their guest glare at me with such intensity before. I wonder what Tachibana told him in order to make him so overprotective… <strike>He made me very uncomfortable.</strike>

In our session today, I had Tachibana lie down on a chair and have him recall memories about his phobia of water. The more relaxed he felt, the truer his thoughts would be. <strike>I can’t particularly say I liked watching him squirm around in his seat.</strike>

<strike>Tachibana was also unbelievably handsome up close.</strike>

When our session ended, Yamazaki swooped him out the door. <strike>I wonder what their relationship is…</strike>

—————

**SESSION 7**

I don’t know why I’m smiling so much right now. Today, Tachi Makoto asked me if we could be on a first-name basis. Now he calls me by my first, Haru.

<strike>I think I saw a blush on his face when he asked. It was so adorable.</strike>

—————

**SESSION 10**

Makoto didn’t need to, but he brought me a gift. He gave it to me while mumbling something about how he needed to thank me for all of the sessions we’ve had so far.

I wish I could get him something back, but I’m his therapist. That would be pushing the professional boundary.

Anyways, nothing much about his phobia to be updated. The good thing is that it’s steadily getting better.

<strike>I wonder if he gifts just about anyone in his life.</strike>

—————

**SESSION 14**

His siblings came along today. Makoto introduced me to them after they jumped on me and explained to me that he was babysitting them in an emergency. He apologized a lot for their behavior, but I thought it was just adorable. I can see a little bit of him in both of them. It was fun, to say the least.

Makoto sat them in the corner of the room and told both of them to behave. Ran and Ren kept looking at the both of us with a weird expression. I hope they know that I’m just his therapist.

They giggled a lot when I laid Makoto down on the chair and began talking about water. Makoto doesn’t seem to be as tense as before, which is great. He still seems a bit nervous whenever I mention water or anything of the sort, so I’m not going to rush anything. I hope he’s not just putting up a front because of his siblings.

<strike>I should feel happy at the thought of Makoto getting better, but I don’t. It means I won’t be able to see him anymore.</strike>

—————

**SESSION 20**

I was looking forward to our session today, but Yamazaki just waltzed right in. When Makoto called me by my first name, Yamazaki stopped and turned to look at the both of us weird. That honestly irked me quite a bit. I don’t know why he intends on stepping in between Makoto and I. I wonder if he was this hostile to Rin? <strike>He probably isn’t. Rin gets along well with anybody.</strike>

Nothing special to report today. Makoto still seems tense, but he’s getting better.

—————

**SESSION 24**

<strike>I think I really like</strike>

—————

**SESSION 27**

I’m his therapist and he’s my patient. I can’t let someone distract me like this.

—————

**SESSION 30**

Session went by normally until the rain started up halfway through the session. The severity of his shaking that was there during the first couple of our sessions came back. I forgot how tense Makoto used to be. I didn’t know what to do because time was running out, and I had another patient coming in, so I just lent him one of my umbrellas.

<strike>The umbrella I gave him had kitten prints all over the top and charm at the bottom. I hope he felt more relaxed out in the rain.</strike>

—————

**SESSION 31**

It was raining again when Makoto came by for his next session. I expected Makoto to show up petrified, but he looked surprisingly relaxed. He told me that the umbrella I lent him last session gave him energy to pass through the rain. I don’t fully understand what that means, but I’m happy.

Makoto returned the umbrella with a note that I found after he left. I insisted he keep my umbrella, but he<strike>, unfortunately,</strike> brought his own.

_ Haru-chan! Thank you so much for the umbrella~ _

_ It was really cute and didn’t make me feel as scared when I ran through the rain all by myself. _

_ I took a few pictures of myself and the kitten in front of my house under the umbrella, so I can show you next time if you want to see those pictures. _

_ \- Makoto _

Down below, Makoto tried to draw a picture of a cat's paw.

—————

**SESSION 33**

There was thunder and lightning today. After seeing him tremble so much in the chair, I told Makoto that he was free to stay the whole day at the office with me so that he wouldn’t have to be alone. I had some blankets and extra pillows hidden in my cabinet, so I gave it to him. <strike>I can’t get the image of him adorably sank into them.</strike>

We spent the whole day talking about the little things in our lives that make us happy and our childhood until dark. I found out that we grew up in the same neighborhood before I moved away to Tokyo with my parents. It’s a shame we couldn’t have met <strike>outside of the office</strike> sooner. 

It was too late to let Makoto walk home. I wasn’t about to let Makoto out alone in the storm either. I tried to convince him that it was okay for him to take up the whole couch, but he didn’t think it was right for him to. I was just fine sleeping on my desk until he pulled me over to the couch with him.

<strike>He’s very warm. I should have been the one to hug him through the night, but I suppose people find comfort in embracing something… or someone.</strike>

—————

<strike> **SESSION 34** </strike>

I had to cancel our next session together. I don’t know how I can look him in the eyes after that night. I haven’t even been recording his progress throughout the weeks.

————— 

**SESSION 35**

Today’s session was horribly awkward. I couldn’t look him straight in the eye without feeling like my chest was going to burst.

Makoto tried to make things easier for me by offering to turn away from me, but I refused. I’m a therapist. If I can’t do this, then what good is my degree?

He apologized about forcing me to cuddle that night, but it’s not that I didn’t like it… And then he confessed his feelings.

<strike>I didn’t know what to do, so I just shut the door in his face.</strike>

—————

_ STICKY NOTE _

I caved and told Rin what was happening. Rin sheepishly confessed the reason he transferred Makoto to me was that he was too attracted to Yamazaki to focus on his sessions with Makoto. Now I know why Rin had little to no progress with Makoto.

—————

**SESSION 36**

I apologized to him the moment he walked through the door. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I started to tear up a little and… Now I am refusing to look at him because I’m embarras 

  
  
  
  


“Haru, are you still crying?” Makoto teases as he pulls away the notebook slowly to the corner of the desk. His other hand makes its way onto his pen, setting it down. “I’m not mad, you know.”

It feels like an eternity before Haruka is able to respond. “I know, but I’m just so—”

Makoto simply tips his face up with the gentle touch of his fingers, a warm smile stretched across his face. “You can just make it up to me then.”

Haruka nods dumbly as he leans in, closing the distance between them and smiling when their lips meet halfway.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you enjoyed reading my gift! I was kinda worried taking this kind of direction just because I’ve never done it before, but I’m pretty satisfied with how it turned out! This is my first time participating in an exchange, so my excitement while writing this was constantly shooting through the roof. Thank you so much for reading again! ♡(ŐωŐ人)
> 
> makoharu tumblr [@tanasemakoharu](https://tanasemakoharu.tumblr.com/) !!  
main tumblr [@miipn](https://miipn.tumblr.com/)


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